Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias were an English comedy rock band, formed in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England in 1973. Their story is told in CP Lee's book ''When We Were Thin'' (published 2007 by Hotun Press). The name of the band is a corruption of the Latin American band Alberto y Los Trios Paraguayos.

Career

Created in 1972 by former member of Greasy Bear, Chris "C.P." Lee, with

Jimmy Hibbert James Christian Hibbert is an English actor and writer. He is best known for his voice work with the animation studio Cosgrove Hall Films. Early life James Christian Hibbert was born as the eldest of three children of author Christopher Hibbe ...

(vocals, bass) (ex Jacko Ogg and the Head People) and Bob Harding (vocals, guitar, bass), the comedy sketch outfit became a musical group in 1974 and was joined by former Greasy Bear (1968–1972) drummer Bruce Mitchell (drums), with Les Prior (vocals), Simon White (steel guitar, guitar),

Tony Bowers Tony Bowers (born 31 October 1952, England) is a musician based in Italy and Ireland who has worked with many bands, including Simply Red in the 1980s. Career Bowers debuted in the blues band, Blind Eye (1971–1972), as second guitarist, altho ...

(bass, guitar) and Ray "Mighty Mongo" Hughes (second drummer). They became a popular support act, supporting

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on their 1974 tour. The group mercilessly parodied the major rock names of the 1970s – "Anadin" (the trade name for an over-the-counter headache remedy) was a reworking of

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's "Heroin" / "Sweet Jane". By 1975 they were topping the bill in their own right and were supported by such acts as

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, Devo,

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and

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, Dr. Feelgood,

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, John Dowie, The Smirks,

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, Gonzalez,

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, Siouxsie and The Banshees,

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and Blondie. As with many comedy ensembles, the Albertos belied their comic aspirations by their exemplary musicianship, and they released three albums and a variety of spoof discs, culminating in the musical play, ''Snuff Rock''. ''Sleak (aka Snuff Rock)'', inspired by the then recent film, ''

Snuff Snuff may refer to: Tobacco * Snuff (tobacco), fine-ground tobacco, sniffed into the nose ** Moist snuff or dipping tobacco ** Creamy snuff, an Indian tobacco paste Media and entertainment * Snuff film, a type of film that shows a murder Literat ...

'', and the concept of

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, but carrying the idea to a band who killed themselves for entertainment, was their musical play presented at London's

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and

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and was famous for the role of the comic disc jockey played by Les Prior. The accompanying EP, "Snuff Rock", released on Stiff Records, poked fun at the punk rock phenomenon, targeting the Sex Pistols ("Gobbing On Life"), The Damned ("Kill") and

("Snuffin' Like That") as well as myriad

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bands in "Snuffin' In A Babylon". They reached the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

with the Status Quo spoof, "Heads Down No Nonsense Mindless Boogie" in 1978. Les Prior died in January 1980 from

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, which left a large gap in the group. After their nationally networked TV show ''Teach Yourself Gibberish'', their performance at

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was shown on 1981 film ''

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'' and a crack at America with ''Sleak'', the Albertos disbanded in 1982. The band's brand of spoof rock has been said to be in the same English tradition as that of the

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and the

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, but a better comparison might be the American bluegrass/country parody band the

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, whom C.P. Lee described as their "American doppelgängers".

Discography

Albums

*''Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias'' –

Transatlantic Records Transatlantic Records was a British independent record label. The company was established in 1961, primarily as an importer of American folk, blues and jazz records by many of the artists who influenced the burgeoning British folk and blues boom ...

, 1976 *''Italians From Outer Space'' –

, 1977 *''Skite'' –

Logo Records Logo Records was a British record company formed in the mid-1970s by British record executives Geoff Hannington and Olav Wyper. It was originally funded and part-owned by UK publishing company Marshall Cavendish. In 1977, the company purchased ...

, 1978 *''TV Sweat'' -

Fiction Records Fiction Records is a British record label founded by Chris Parry in 1978, owned by Universal Music Group and based in the United Kingdom. It is best known for being the home of The Cure for over 20 years. It was originally a part of Polydor, ...

, 1981 (Credited as 'CP Lee and Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias')

Compilation albums

*''The Worst of the Berts'' – Logo, 1980 *''Snuff Rock – the Best of the Albertos'' – Mau Mau, 1991 *''Radio Sweat'' – Overground Records, 1996 *''Mandrax Sunset Variations'' – Castle Records, 2001

Singles

*"Dread Jaws"/"De Version"* (1976) Transatlantic *''Snuff Rock EP'' – "Kill", "Gobbing On Life", "Snuffin' Like That", "Snuffin' In A Babylon" (1977) Stiff *"Old Trust"/"Neville"/"Teenager in Shtuck" (1977) Logo *"Heads Down No Nonsense Mindless Boogie"/"Thank You"/F*** You"*/"Dead Meat Part II"* (1978) Logo ( UK #47)Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, *"F**k You"*/"Dead Meat Part II"* (1978) Logo *"Juan Lopez"/"Teenage Paradise"/"Dead Meat part III"* (1978) Logo *"Cruisin' With Santa"*/"Eye and Eye"* (1982) New Hormones (* Non-album tracks)

References

External links

* {{Authority control English rock music groups Musical groups from Manchester Comedy rock musical groups Transatlantic Records artists Stiff Records artists